The Weight of Living
by torresbrothers
Summary: Campbell Saunders has just arrived in Toronto. He has a new host family to live with, a new hockey team to be part of, and new friends to make. But what happens when the weight of the world begins to be carried on his shoulders while he hides a deep secret from everyone that surrounds him? Rated M. Some triggering content may be featured - read with caution. Semi-AU.
1. Chapter 1

It's not like I really wanted to do this. To leave my family behind, just so I could follow my hockey team and live in Toronto for awhile, all while attending a new school and living with people I don't even know. I tried to beg my parents to let me stay home with them and not make me go to Toronto but that didn't work out. Mom said that I needed this, it was the chance of a lifetime and as for my dad, he agreed. Then again they're both ridiculous when it comes to the whole ice hockey thing. They live for it far more than I ever could and I think that's why the sport was never fun for me.

The bus ride to Toronto was quiet - well, it was quiet for me - not so much everyone else. The rest of the team was busy joking around and laughing in the back; I was up front with my headphones on listening to music the whole ride there. Somewhere between Smooth Rock Falls and Cochrane, I must have nodded off, because when I felt a hand on my shoulder that jolted me awake - I realized we were just outside Toronto. It was evening, just after six o'clock, and the sun was about to set over the high rise buildings in the area. I squinted as the bright, yellow-orange glow of the sun hit my eyes, then turned my attention to my teammate. "Yeah, Dallas?" I asked, glancing up at him as I used my hand to block out the sun while trying to look at him.

"We're almost there, bro, might want to start preparing to get off the bus and meet your host family," he replied, all I could do was nod and sigh as he headed to the back of the bus again to talk to the others. That was the thing with Dallas, he always tried to make everyone on the team feel like family, but in the end he had his friends and he only really wanted to be around them. I wasn't one of them.

* * *

As the bus pulled up to the bus station, I saw a middle aged couple standing outside grinning from ear to ear, holding up a chalkboard sign that said "WELCOME CAMPBELL!" on it. It was nice to see that they were happy to see me - even if I wasn't so happy to see them. I grabbed my carry on bag from above my head where it was laying as I stood up; once I made my way through the aisle way, I forced a smile as I stepped off the bus. "Hi!" I exclaimed, greeting the couple as I approached them while waiting for my bags to be unloaded.

"You must be Campbell!" The man greeted me, he sounded cheerful and a little too happy to see me. Maybe he and his wife were fans of the junior hockey league or at least supporters. "This is my wife Alice and I'm Christian. It's nice to finally meet you," Christian added, I nodded my head and shook his hand. Christian was a tall, slender, salt and pepper gray haired man with glasses and a lot of wrinkles. He would almost remind you of an older Anderson Cooper. As for his wife, she was rather short, smaller than myself even with dark brown hair and olive skin. She looked younger than him but not by much.

"It's nice to meet the two of you! One sec, I need to get my things," I replied, shortly after hearing my name being called from behind me by our coach. Taking my second bag, I placed the black strap of the red duffle bag over my shoulder, then returned to my host family.

"We have a lot planned for you, Campbell! We arranged a dinner at eight o'clock at one of our favorite restaurants with the rest of our family so they could meet you. That should give you time to get freshened up! We hope you're hungry!" Alice explained, I nodded and forced another smile at them in response.

I didn't know what to think. I liked them, sure, because they seemed so nice and welcoming. How could I be so ungrateful towards them? They even planned a welcome dinner for me set for that night which made me feel even worse. Despite the fact that my stomach was rumbling from hunger; I still wasn't sure if I even felt like going out that night. The bus ride alone was exhausting and I was still sleepy from my previous nap. Yet, still, something told me I needed to pull through and do this for them.

* * *

When we arrived at the Fortin's, I was amazed by how nice their home was, let alone the neighborhood they lived in. The house was large, two stories, made mostly out of what appeared to be either gray brick or stone with white paneling. As for the houses along the street, they were just as nice, and some of them were even larger than the one I was moving into for the next few months.

"Wow," I muttered under my breath as Alice stepped forward to open the front door once it was unlocked. I followed them inside and once the lights were on - my eyes widened at the sight. It shouldn't have surprised me that the interior of the house was just as nice as outside, but it did. Inside, the house had a cozy lived in feel to it despite being so neat and clean. "So this is where I'm going to be staying for awhile?" I asked, smirking as I looked around the foyer leading to the rather large living room. Christian nodded his head in response.

"Go unpack and get dressed for dinner! Wear something nice, we're going to an upscale place," Christian responded to my words, I did exactly what he told me to only to turn around at the top of the staircase.

"Uh, which room?" I questioned.

"Second on your left right beside the master bathroom!" Alice called out to me as she removed her jacket.

* * *

Unpacking took little to no time at all. Once I took a quick shower and dressed myself in the nicest clothes I had packed, I returned downstairs, ready to leave for the restaurant. By that point, there was no telling what else was left in store for me that night. I almost had forgotten of my feelings of nervousness, sadness, and longing to stay home with my family now that I was in Toronto.

On the ride to the restaurant, I began to wonder how I was staying with a family that didn't have kids, other than myself and I was just a house guest. "So, um, how did you work it out to be my host family? I mean, I'm supposed to be staying with a family that has kids since I'm attending a specific school," another question coming from my mouth as I looked outside at the various buildings we were passing by.

"I thought the host family had to have kids of their own at Degrassi?" I added, still watching in awe at the large buildings passing us by. The city was stunning and the buildings were much, much larger than I had imagined them to be. And at night time, the way they lit up, it was like a work of art the way the various lights painted the night sky.

"I am a teacher at Degrassi, actually! I teach grade twelve Canadian history and Christian, here, works for the school board. He used to teach at a local art school," Alice replied, looking at me through the rear view mirror. "We asked to be a host family for the hockey team and - well - here you are!" She added cheerfully, just then Christian pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and pulled up to the valet.

"Ready for some of the best steak you've ever had?" Christian asked and I chuckled.

"Yeah, actually!" I responded with a smile.

* * *

As we stepped inside the restaurant, again I felt like I was being treated like some sort of prince, getting the royal treatment. It felt like it was too good to be true, in a sense, but it didn't stop the thoughts racing through the back of my mind that this wasn't right. That I should be at home, no matter how happy I was temporarily. After all, all good things always came to a bitter end with me - it never failed. Guess that's why my mom always teasingly calls me "Charlie Brown".

We were hit with a blast of warm air, and the aroma of well seasoned steaks on the grill. As we made our way through the dimly lit steakhouse, I looked around and took in the scenery. Above our heads, there were lights that almost looked like Christmas lights, across the ceiling hanging down. The walls were painted a charcoal color and the tables had a rustic look to them. In the back room, the walls were lined with booth like seating with white cushions, and white cushioned metal chairs opposite of them. For some reason, I felt like eating here would put a dent in this family's wallet.

After the doors to the private room were opened, the Fortin's extended family and a few friends were already seated, greeting us happily as we walked through the doors. I swallowed hard as I looked at the small crowd in the room. All the people made the room seem as though it was much smaller, like the walls were closing in, and it made me feel a little too warm - like I almost couldn't breathe.

While my heart began to pound in my chest, I worried that I was going to have another anxiety attack, and if I did - I knew just how humiliating it would be not only for myself but for those around me. I took a few deep breaths and exhaled through my nose as I waited to be introduced to everyone. "Attention!" Christian exclaimed happily, almost with a slight arrogance as he clanked a fork against the crystal wine glass he picked up.

"I would like to take this moment to announce that we will be hosting one of the Toronto Ice Hounds in our home. His name is Campbell Saunders and he is here with us tonight! Please join me in this warm welcome to our house guest," Christian added, grinning as he looked back at me, while I looked around at everyone like a deer caught in the headlights. They were cheering for me, which seemed almost unreal, even though I was used to crowds cheering. I never felt special enough for them to cheer for a guy like me for such a small thing.

Once everyone settled down and I was able to make my rounds to introduce myself to everyone, I took my seat. The waiters arrived and I ordered my food - a rare filet mignon, onion rings, and sauteed mushrooms. I figured that since everything on the menu was expensive then why not get what I enjoyed for dinner. Hearing people order things like macaroni and cheese or baked potatoes made me wish I didn't have such bad lactose intolerance. It made it impossible for me to eat those things without feeling sick not even a half an hour later.

"You know, I believe I'll have what he's having!" Christian stated to the waiter in regards to my order, I smiled awkwardly up at the waiter as I handed over my menu, then I looked back at Christian.

"I would have ordered the mac n' cheese but there's no way my stomach could handle such a thing." I stated, saying good bye to a childhood favorite was hard but if it meant having good health, and feeling well - it was worth it.

"You're lactose intolerant, too?" The man questioned me and my eyes lit up, I nodded in response.

"Yeah, actually, I am. Only found out three years ago," I commented.

"Well then, you'll be happy to know that we have dairy free products at home like ice cream and macaroni that you can enjoy."

* * *

The next morning, I awoke and immediately reached for my bottle of Ativan that I brought with me. Opening it, I grabbed one of the last two pills and put it in my mouth, swallowing it without the help of a glass of water. My heart was pounding in my chest as I sat up in my bed before I slapped my hand down onto the 'snooze' button of the clock next to me. It was the first day of attending Degrassi Community School.

A million thoughts raced through my head as I sat there in bed. I looked outside and the sun was just barely peaking over the trees lining the suburban Toronto street. As I remained still, I thought about how I was about to meet a lot of new people, which I would have never seen before had it not been for my parents forcing me to try out for the junior hockey league last summer. I placed one foot down onto the carpet, then the other, then stood up as I headed for the bathroom. Suddenly, I felt more than a little sick to my stomach - despite not having anything on it.

The first day was always the worst for me. My hands were already shaking from the anxiety pumping it's way slowly through my veins. I could even hear my heart beating rapidly in my ears as stood over the sink in the bathroom. "You can do this. You made it this far, so don't turn back, you're going to be okay. You can do this!" I told myself, despite not believing the words escaping my lips.

"Campbell! Breakfast is ready!" Alice called out from downstairs, another wave of nausea hit as I dry heaved.

"Not hungry! I'm leaving in a few minutes!" I called out in response, I turned to walk out of the bathroom and to my closet to change my clothes. Thinking about how I needed to stop letting my mind get to me - maybe this would be a good thing. Maybe everyone would welcome me the way Alice and Christian did. Then again, if I was an outcast on my own team, there was no way I would be nearly as popular as Dallas or Luke once I got to Degrassi. I didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell. I was doomed.

* * *

Once I was dressed in a simple black v-neck, my red Ice Hounds hoodie, a pair of jeans and sneakers, I made my way outside the door once I told my host family that I would talk to them that afternoon. Waiting for the school bus was easy, no one was out there with me and I was alone for a few minutes, and it allowed me to calm my thoughts.

After getting on the school bus, I sat down in the first available seat by myself, and didn't bother to speak to anyone. On the next stop, Dallas and Luke were picked up, and later the other team mates. To my surprise, Dallas sat down right beside me and talked to me. "What's up?" he greeted with a friendly smile, I shrugged.

"Nervous," I commented simply. "You know I don't like meeting new people."

"Yeah," Dallas replied with a nod. "Don't worry about it, Rookie, you'll fit in!" He encouraged me, I wanted to believe him but it was just his way of being nice. "I'll see you later!" Dallas added, just before getting up to go back and sit with Luke when his name was called.

Thirty minutes later, the bus arrived outside of Degrassi Community School. From what I could tell just by looking at it, the school was huge from the outside, and was much bigger than my school back home. There were lots of kids standing around outside waiting for the first bell for our first class. My hands shook as I stood up to get off the bus and as I took the first step off - a mysterious blue eyed, brown haired boy approached me. "Are you Campbell?" he asked.

"Yeah, call me Cam," I replied, furrowing my brow as I looked at him. He looked nice enough, he was wearing a beanie covering chestnut brown hair and a hoodie with a Batman logo on the front.

"My name is Adam. I'm going to be showing you around today and helping you navigate this place," he commented, his tone was kind but upbeat as he spoke.

"Are you okay with that?" he asked, I smiled.

"Yeah. Nice hoodie," I complimented, I could tell we were going to be fast friends. Already the day seemed to be going a little better than expected.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **This is where things take a true AU turn. After all, this is my retelling of Cam's story and it's focused around a specific theory the Tumblr Degrassi fandom had going back when he was introduced. So, yeah, it's not much like the show and that's going to start being obvious in this chapter. Sorry to disappoint any of you!

* * *

As I followed Adam inside, I realized that I wasn't wrong about the school being fairly huge. There's two floors, it seems, as I step inside the foyer and look around. To the right, the hallway leads to the office and to my left - there is the gym, cafeteria, and another hallway leading to the theater room. "This place...it's huge," I muttered to myself, Adam must have heard me because it caught him off guard but he chuckled in response.

"Yeah, the school is kind of big. I really hadn't noticed before you mentioned it!" Adam replied, waving for me to follow him up the stairs. "Okay so up here are most of the classrooms," he began as he lead me down the hallway once we were up the steps. "I think I'm going to take you to the music room first to introduce you to my band mates!" Adam commented as he lead me down the hall. There were rows and rows of lockers lining the halls - some were blue, some black, others yellow. Over all, I could tell that the school was fairly nice and that I might like it there - as long as the students were nice. So far; so good.

"Oh you're in the school's band? Awesome!" I responded to Adam's words as he lead me into the music room.

"No, no, I'm in a rock band with some other students. Not the school's band," Adam stated with a quiet laugh. Inside the room - there were four other students standing around. Two of them laughing quietly about something, one tuning a guitar, and one doing vocal warm ups. "Guys! I have someone I want you to meet!" Adam exclaimed, getting their attention as I shyly stood behind him - giving everyone a once over.

The quiet boy in the back of the room, tuning a guitar was the one that caught my attention first. He had pale skin, he seemed to be somewhat tall by the looks of it, and he had black hair. As he looked up, his dark brown eyes locked on my own and I quickly looked away, feeling awkward because I knew that he knew I was staring. I could tell by his expression. "I want you all to meet my new friend, Cam Saunders, he's one of the new students here playing for the Toronto Ice Hounds," Adam explained, glancing at me as I moved to stand beside of him instead of behind him. "Cam, these are my other friends - Maya Matlin, Imogen Moreno, Mo Mashkour, and Zig Novak," Adam added, pointing to each person individually as I smiled at them.

"Hi, everyone!" I finally spoke up and greeted them. Still I couldn't shake the awkwardness that had come over me as I stood in the music room with everyone. Just as I finished speaking, Adam glanced down at his watch, with a small sigh then turned to face me.

"Come on, we have five minutes and I still need to get you to your locker and first period class," Adam commented, motioning for me to follow him. "Later, guys!" he called out to his friends as he lead me out of the room. "Okay, there are four halls up here. "Your hall, the grade ten hall is located right here so you're in luck. What's your locker number?" Adam asked, I pulled out my schedule and looked down - locker number two fourteen.

"Two fourteen," I replied.

"Great." Adam replied then smacked his hand against a yellow locker a few feet away. "Here it is and you have grade nine French for your first class, right?" Adam asked, I nodded quietly.

"Yeah, I do." I replied.

"Um, okay I'll tell Maya and she can walk with you to your first period class. She has it, too, and she should be able to help you out with that. I'll meet up with you after this class!" Adam commented then began to walk off, that's when I turned to unlock my locker and place my book bag in there. I got out a notebook, pen, and my French book then waited for Maya to find me. Wondering if she would or if I would be left on my own.

* * *

"Um, okay I'll tell Maya and she can walk with you to your first period class. She has it, too, and she should be able to help you out with that. I'll meet up with you after this class!" Adam commented then began to walk off, that's when I turned to unlock my locker and place my book bag in there. I got out a notebook, pen, and my French book then waited for Maya to find me. Wondering if she would or if I would be left on my own.

A few moments later, Maya - the cheerful tiny blonde came walking down the halls as she adjusted her glasses, flashing a friendly smile to me as she approached. "Hi again!" She greeted, I laughed quietly in response to her words. For some reason, I felt at ease around her and it took me by surprise - I felt more comfortable around her than I did with Adam.

"So, why are you taking grade nine French?" She questioned.

"I didn't get to take it because of hockey," I replied, she didn't have anything to say to that. It made me wonder what was running through her mind. If she was thinking about the fact that I play hockey, if she even cared about sports, or what. Girls were always a mystery to me, anyway. Anything could be a trick with them, after all.

"That's a shame. Hopefully you won't miss any classes because of hockey while you're here," Maya replied as twisted the silver doorknob and pushed open the wooden door. We got there before the teacher which was probably a good thing; I wasn't finished speaking to her, after all. "So... what's fame like?" She asked, I was taken slightly aback by her question. Never had I thought of myself as famous, I felt like a really normal person with a somewhat normal life, but since I had a fairly decent fanbase and a spot in the NHL - maybe she was on to something.

"I didn't realize I was famous," I replied coyly with a smirk, then I realized just how sarcastic that came out and felt like mentally kicking myself for that one.

"Really, I don't consider myself famous. I'm just like you, a normal person but with a talent for a sport that I don't even like," I openly admitted. Fame was such a strange concept to me, anyway. I didn't understand why people 'worshipped' these people in Hollywood or even us athletes. It was weird to know that we were seen as these important figures in the world, when really we didn't do anything great. We weren't true heroes - risking our lives for the sake of peace or whatever.

Maya made a face at me as I finished replying. Maybe she didn't expect me to say such a thing about famous people and wanted an answer about how amazing it was and my millions of dollars. Too bad I didn't have that kind of money, yet.

I wanted to ask her if she expected something different but before I could get the words out, other students started piling into the classroom, and the teacher followed as the second bell rang. "Students we have a new student with us today! His name is Campbell Saunders and he is one of Toronto's very own Ice Hounds! Give him a warm welcome, everyone," the French teacher commented, flashing a smile at me as she welcomed me to the class herself. However, I wasn't sure how I felt about being put so on the spot like that. Once everyone was finished saying hello to me - we turned our attention back to the dry erase board up front to listen to the day's lesson.

* * *

Once class ended, I found Adam standing outside my class waiting for me. "So, did you see any cute girls in class? Someone you might have an interest in?" He asked and I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

"Nah, it would be a true miracle if I found a girl like that," I replied, I wanted to keep my words as simple as I could because I hated talking about girls with other guys. Adam furrowed his brow then chuckled.

"You have difficulty with the ladies, too?" He asked and I shrugged my shoulders in response.

"Guess you could say that!" I replied, realizing that I was being watched by Maya and a girl with dark, curly yet also very thick hair. I couldn't figure out what Maya was whispering to her but they both had their eyes locked on me when suddenly they started to giggle. It made me feel weird, knowing I was obviously being watched and talked about, and now they were laughing. Did I make a bad impression? I didn't know. Regardless, I felt uncomfortable and I couldn't shake the thoughts in my mind that they were making fun of me. I hoped that I was wrong though.

Looking down at my schedule that was in my hands, Adam realized that we had the same class for media immersion and grinned. "Looks like we have a class together after all! Awesome," he commented, just as he stepped inside the computer lab. As we walked inside and placed our stuff down onto some desks, a low voice came over the intercom, telling us to head to the auditorium for a presentation in fifteen minutes and for all Ice Hounds players to report to the locker rooms. "Guess I'll see you in a bit," Adam stated as he headed out the door. Luckily, I knew where the locker rooms were from having to change in them before during practice when the local rink was closed one day.

Once I headed that way, some students spoke to me as I walked down the halls but all I could do was smile at them in response. I was never the kind of person that liked talking to people I didn't already know, anyway. Not even a minute or so later, I pushed the doors to the men's locker room open once I was in the gym, and walked inside. "What's going on?" I asked, seeing Dallas changing shirts.

"Bro, don't tell me you forgot already!" He exclaimed, Luke tossed me my jersey and I slipped my hoodie off to hang it on one of the hangers so I could get changed. "Simpson has called for a pep rally and we're part of it since they're trying to welcome us to the school," Dallas added, shaking his head and rolling his eyes as he finished speaking. Yeah, I had forgotten about it because I was so overwhelmed with the whole thing. Who wouldn't be? Oh, right, my outgoing team mates that would never understand the concept of social anxiety.

* * *

After I finished changing, I waited for the others before grabbing a hockey stick like the rest of them as we headed out the door, to the auditorium. Simpson motioned for us to get on stage with him as we headed inside. The place was decorated in red, black, and white with a large banner that featured our team's logo and name over our heads on the stage. I stood around awkwardly, not knowing what to expect since I had forgotten that I was even supposed to be at this thing.

However once a petite, tall, pretty red head approached the stage; Principal Simpson stepped aside and sat down as the girl took the microphone. As she began to speak, I spaced out for a few moments as I glanced around. The crowd watching was pretty large and it made me hope that I wouldn't have to speak. I was never good with public speaking, anyway, the thought alone terrified me. I could hardly manage to do interviews, after all, and most of those? They were one on one.

The crowd cheered loudly as she moved aside to introduce a new video, saying we should be welcomed in true Degrassi spirit, whatever that could have mean't. As the video started, the different players official photos flashed across the screen. First, Luke Baker was introduced with a loud roar from the crowd of students. Then, my picture flashed across the screen, causing an even louder roar that I didn't expect. I threw my hand up and waved to the crowd, a proud smirk resting gently on my face as my team mates patted me on the back. So far, so good, right?

Next, Dallas was introduced to the crowd and the guy he was staying with - Drew - called out to him proudly. Though once his intro was over, something totally different began to play on the screen from a party Dallas and Luke had mentioned once or twice. As everyone started to watch the clip, we stood there awkwardly watching what was going on - the clip was of the same guy in the crowd. Drew Torres, an older student that was obviously drunk and partying hard as he was celebrating losing his virginity.

"What the?" I muttered, trying to hold back a laugh as I watched. Poor guy, he must have really pissed off that red head that made the video and presented it to the crowd. I wonder what he could have done? Maybe he cheated on her? I didn't know and I didn't really care. The fact of the matter was, this guy was an unintentionally hilarious drunk and though the video was funny - I would have hated to have been him.

Finally, Mr. Simpson stopped the whole thing by making us take a seat. He told the girl, Katie, to go wait for him in his office and as I sat down beside of Adam - the guy looked like he was ready to leave town and never look back. His expression was one that was combined of horror and humiliation. "My brother is a freakin' idiot. Why do I have to be related to this douche?" Adam muttered, hiding his face in his hands from the humiliation and I couldn't help feeling sorry for him as we sat there. "Technically I'm not, just by marriage, but every day I'm glad I'm not part of the same blood line. I wouldn't want to catch his stupid or lack of common sense," the boy added and I nodded.

"Sorry you have to put up with him." I responded.

"Oh...believe me, you don't know the half of it and be glad you don't!" Adam exclaimed.

* * *

Once media media immersion class was over, it was time for us to go to lunch and Maya immediately came to get me so I could get in line with her friends. As for my team mates, they didn't even notice that I hadn't spoken to them all day which didn't surprise me. They were already becoming a part of the older group of popular kids it seemed, while I was more involved with the other students. If I had to be around people like that Drew guy or Luke all day - I was thankful I had met Adam, Maya, and Adam's other friends. They were interesting and welcoming, after all.

"Hey!" Maya greeted, a raised my hand as if to wave as she pulled me into the lunch line. "So, Tori, Zig, and I were wondering if you would like to go to The Dot with us after school?" she asked, I furrowed my brow since I was unsure of what she meant by The Dot.

"Depends on what that is?" I replied, not to get their hopes up since I needed to check and see if I had practice or not that evening. If I didn't, I knew I would go with them but since the hockey team was such an obligation, I never knew when I would or wouldn't be too busy to be social.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"A cafe where Degrassi students hang out, study, and all that stuff!" Tori spoke up, just before she was interrupted by a chubby, tall, red haired guy.

"Sorry I'm late! I had to meet with my brother so I could tell my parents that he won't be home right away after school, he got detention!" The boy announced to us. His demeanor was laid back but also slightly peppy, he seemed to be really outgoing and friendly but also a little on the bubbly side. So, to me, he seemed like a potential friend.

"Oh, Cam, this is our friend Tristan Milligan or Tris as we sometimes call him!" Tori commented, beaming as her friend approached us.

"Nice to meet you, Tris," I spoke up, greeting the guy and he blushed which surprised me but still caused me to give him a genuine smile.

"You too, Cam."

* * *

As we sat down, I began to quietly eat my hamburger while the others around me talked. When I looked up, I realized that Maya was giving me oogly eyes while Zig was glaring at me from across the table. The guy had been acting strange, he was very quiet around me and hadn't bothered to speak a word but as his eyes shifted back and forth between myself and Maya, it only got worse. And frankly? I was sick of it. "What the hell is your problem, dude?" I spat, glaring back at him just as harshly as he was glaring at me.

Zig finally looked away and picked at his food for a moment. "I don't have a problem with you, Cam," he finally spoke up as his eyes locked on mine for a second time. I could have thought otherwise by the way he was watching Maya and I. "I'm not in the best mood today. Family problems," he stated.

"Sorry, I didn't know. It's just you were glaring at us and I couldn't figure out why you would when you haven't had the chance to get to know me," I began to explain before clearing my throat, "and that's unfair if you're going to dislike me." I commented, stating my opinion before taking another large bite of my food.

"Well, the kind of family problems I'm having you wouldn't understand and I guess I'm just a little bit envious of the fact that you're rich and famous," Zig argued, I gave him another stern look as I thought about how to reply to such an asinine assumption.

"Actually, if you knew anything about me - you would realize that no, I'm not rich. Just middle class and sure I have fans but I'm not some a-list athlete," I retorted. I didn't appreciate being judged so harshly by someone that didn't bother to even talk to me before now. "Maybe I need to go sit with my team!" I exclaimed angrily. I wasn't going to be judged by these kids when they didn't know a thing about me. Sure, Maya and the others seemed nice but if this meant having to be around that Zig guy, I couldn't see myself sticking around them for very long.

"Maybe you should." Zig commented quietly, that's when I grabbed my tray and walked over to where my team was sitting and - luckily for me - they had a seat available for me. And I was greeted warmly by the others; even though I really didn't want to be there.


End file.
